Developing a draft pick into an inexpensive starter has been the recipe of a surging Falcons’ franchise that has posted five straight winning seasons. Fifteen of the their 22 consistent starters last year were former Atlanta draft picks and Dimitroff acquired 10 of the 15 after taking over in 2008. The defensive line, however, has remained an Achilles heal of the Falcons’ defense and its two most important pieces in recent years, Jonathan Abraham and Jonathan Babineaux, both predated the arrival of Dimitroff.
The gap from the first- to seventh-round talent is seemingly shrinking each year. Two of the best pass rushers from a season ago were former Bucs defensive end Michael Bennett, who was an undrafted free agent, and sixth-round pick Greg Hardy. Bennett had 10 sacks last year and Hardy had 11.
The Falcons have 11 draft picks and plenty of key roles available to the incoming draft class. Atlanta cut cornerback Dunta Robinson, who signed with the Chiefs, and let free agents Brent Grimes (Miami) and Christopher Owens (Cleveland) walk. They will be in the market for an NFL-ready corner to help Asante Samuel, Robert McClain and Dominique Franks.
LOCAL TALENT …
When Atlanta drafted former Central Gwinnett Black Knight defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi in 2012, it marked the 16th time a former Georgia high school football player was drafted by the Falcons since 1988. The Dallas Cowboys are the only team with a higher total (17). The average per draft has been 13.7, and the Falcons could add more former Georgia varsity talent to its roster.
No Georgia ties on the roster are stronger than starting linebacker Akeem Dent’s, who played his high school football just five miles from the Georgia Dome at Douglass High School. The former Georgia Bulldog will see more than a dozen of his former teammates available draft day. The record for most Bulldogs taken in a draft was eight in 2002, but it appears this year will break it. As many as nine Bulldogs have been projected to go in the first three rounds. Jarvis Jones, Alec Ogletree and John Jenkins headline the double-digit list of defensive prospects, and the possibility of the needy Atlanta defense acquiring Peach State talent towards its 2013 Super Bowl campaign is a likely result.
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